Eritrea urges UN to intervene in standoff with Ethiopia

The neighbouring countries blame one another for starting war amid heightened tensions and fears of a wider conflict.Eritrea has asked the United Nations to take “deterrent measures” after what it called Ethiopia’s “declaration of war” in the conflict over the Tigray region.Eritrea’s request comes a day after Addis Ababa, in a letter to the Security Council, accused Asmara of launching an “all-out invasion”, saying Eritrean troops had advanced up to 60 kilometres (37 miles) into Ethiopia’s Tigray.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Ethiopia and Eritrea accuse one another of launching warlist 2 of 4Will Ethiopia’s neighbours intervene as Tigray war escalates?list 3 of 4Witnesses spot Eritrean troops inside northern Ethiopia as tensions flarelist 4 of 4Ethiopian PM Abiy demands Red Sea access as tensions with neighbours riseend of listIn a separate letter to the council on Saturday, Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh said the claims of an Eritrean incursion were part of an Ethiopian plan to justify a war of aggression and urged the UN to intervene, invoking Chapter VII of the UN-charter" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="38449" data-entity-type="organization">UN Charter, which allows measures from sanctions to military action.The neighbouring countries have accused each other of starting a war over Tigray, where Ethiopia says Eritrea is backing rebels.An alliance of seven armed groups launched attacks against federal Ethiopian forces in the northern region last month, as they attempt to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government.Eritrean forces have since reportedly intruded into Ethiopian territory, with Addis Ababa accusing Asmara of backing the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).The Ethiopian army pushed TPLF rebels back this week and seized the region’s capital, Mekelle. It also said it launched drone strikes against Eritrean troops in the region.“Eritrea requests the UN Security Council to forcefully condemn Ethiopia’s deplorable declaration of war against Eritrea … and take the requisite deterrent measures,” Eritrea’s Saleh said in the letter on Saturday.